“I heard some of the bullets hit the fence, and it’s aluminum,” Cronk, 48, told ABC News’ Matt Gutman. “That’s how we knew these weren’t firecrackers.”

Thousands of country music aficionados who were enjoying Jason Aldean’s set at the Route 91 Harvest Festival outside Mandalay Bay were instantly transported into a war zone.

The suspected gunman, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, sprayed the makeshift concert grounds with gunfire from the 32nd floor of the luxury hotel, killing at least 50 and wounding more than 400.